Traditionally tenon cutting for mortise and tenon fabrication has been a slow and tedious process, with the difficulty of cutting an accurate tenon increasing as you move away from machined material on which the tenon is to be cut.
The prior art discloses three basic approaches to producing circular tenons and their corresponding circular mortises. Hole saws, chucking machines having tenon bits, and lathes having either conventional or multi-cutter powered cutter heads are known in the prior art.
The present invention solves problems present in the prior art. The present invention may be used with any wood shape including irregularly shaped wood. The present invention produces tenons of variable size. The present invention is accurate within 1/32 of an inch and will produce a medium size tenon in less than 60 seconds.
The present invention offers numerous advances to the known prior art machines for cutting tenons. The present invention uses the concept of an imaginary control axis line running through the center of the raw log which is the workpiece. Axis holes are drilled at the two ends of the workpiece along the central axis. Then all types of circular tenons are cut by the present invention. A support shaft for either a radius shoulder tenon or a square shoulder tenon is provided. A single motor and dado blade assembly is used to cut either type tenon. Radius shoulder tenons up to nine inches long can be cut, and they are cut with the grain making a much smoother cut than the prior art. Square shoulder tenons can be cut up to four inches long. The present invention is job site portable. Minimal set up requirements exist when switching from radius shoulder to square shoulder tenons. Simple and fast adjustments permit changing tenon diameters and lengths within the two types of tenons. In summary the present invention provides a breakthrough in woodworking tools as well as a new method to build staircases using the new apparatus.